Populists plunge Sweden into dilemma

The formation of a new government in Sweden has failed. The leader of the conservative Moderate party, Ulf Kristersson, was set to become prime minister, but because his government would have had to rely on votes of the Sweden Democrats, the Liberals and the Centre Party decided to leave the alliance. How should Sweden's political leaders handle the right-wing populists?

Keep enemies of democracy out

Dagens Nyheter welcomes the fact that the Sweden Democrats have been excluded from government:

“The Liberals and Social Democrats have won the fight for democracy together. ... Today the battles of 1918 must be fought anew. Liberal democracy can no longer be taken for granted. It is being challenged throughout Europe by authoritarian, nationalist and populist movements. The Sweden Democrats are the Swedish expression of this anti-liberal current, which feeds on disdain for a democracy that advocates pluralism and productive conflicts.”

Dangerous marginalisation of a million voters

Jyllands-Posten, by contrast, makes the case for the party being included in government:

“The election in September should be seen as a first warning that the strategy of ignoring over a million Swedish voters is untenable. The polls also show that the Sweden Democrats have emerged as the winners of this tragicomic Swedish government drama. The more the established parties try to keep them out - revealing themselves as ineffectual in the process - the more likely it becomes that voters will look for alternatives.”